Conor Townsend says he has much more confidence in his own ability to perform well at Championship level this season.

The defender, who arrived at The Hawthorns in July 2018 from Scunthorpe United, has impressed in Albion’s four most recent games – starting at Stoke City and Hull City and coming on as a second-half substitute in home clashes with Barnsley and Charlton Athletic.

Townsend made 18 appearances in all competitions during the 2018/19 campaign, his first season playing second-tier football, but believes he is now in a far better place to show what he is capable of having had a year to adjust to the step up in quality.

And the 26-year-old hopes his new-found confidence is clear to see in his displays on the pitch.

Conor said: “I’ve seen an improvement in my own performances this season. I feel a lot more confident.

“I came up from League One and it probably took me a little bit of time to adjust to the level, even though I wouldn’t have admitted that at the time.

“I think confidence is the main difference I see in myself this season.

“Confidence plays a big part for a lot of players. The confidence that the manager and coaching staff have given me is great and I hope that shows on the pitch.

“They are putting on sessions that are spot on and I think you can see that in the way we are playing as a team. We play good football. We dominate possession and games and that suits me more as a player.

“I do feel more confident stepping out on the pitch now which obviously helps my performance.

“I’d been watching from the sides earlier in the campaign and the team have been playing brilliantly. They are a joy to watch.

“I’ve just wanted to get involved, contribute and play a part. I feel like I’ve done that since I’ve been in the team. It’s been nice to play.

“I think I have done alright. I still think there is more to come as always. I’m trying to keep working as hard as I can in training every day. Hopefully I can stay in the team.

“That has to be the aim for myself. If we keep winning and putting in performances then that will help my case.

“There are a lot of games coming up in quick succession so hopefully I can play a big part in them and really kick on.

“I’ve been patient for a long time. I want to play every game and this is a chance for me to do that.”

Townsend is set to continue at left-back for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon and he’s expecting the Owls to be an organised outfit at The Hawthorns.

“They are a very organised team.

“It’s credit to their manager. Wherever he has gone, the teams have been very organised.

“They’ve had a good run and they are up near the top end of the table.

“They’re a good team and it’ll be up to us to break them down, but that’s something we have been working on all season.

“We’ve had most of the ball in most of the games so we know what we are up against. Hopefully we’ll do enough to get the win.”